Pixellot Productions On Rise

September 19, 2018

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

A year ago, Pixellot – the automated production solution for schools wishing to stream live video of their athletic events on the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv – was in use at six schools across Michigan.

With the new school year underway, nearly two dozen schools are actively streaming events using Pixellot, with half of those schools streaming indoor and outdoor events. Several schools have more than two Pixellot units in place.

“Schools are finding that Pixellot provides a great opportunity to get a lot of their games out to their fans in a way they could never achieve,” said Mark Uyl, executive director of the MHSAA.  “We have some schools which are using a mix of their traditional, student-staffed, School Broadcast Program efforts along with Pixellot to be able to add subvarsity coverage; and schools going exclusively with Pixellot with installations at multiple venues.”

Pixellot units use from two to four High Definition cameras that cover the length of the playing surface and then focus on the ball and player movement to deliver the action. The unit communicates with the scoreboard to insert a time and score graphic on the screen. Ambient audio is picked up by the device, but the commentary of the public address announcer or the radio style play-by-play of an in-person announcing team also can be patched in.

All that has to be done from a school’s perspective is type in the event schedule and promote the fact that the games are available on MHSAA.tv. Pixellot does the rest. The unit also can be set up to isolate a camera on a fixed location, which allows for activities like cheer and wrestling to be streamed.

Schools actively engaged in Pixellot productions now include: Ann Arbor Greenhills, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Brighton, Calumet, Dollar Bay, Frankenmuth, Freeland, Fremont, Grand Blanc, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Harrison, Howell, Kalamazoo Christian, Macomb Lutheran North, Manchester, Norway, Novi, Otisville-LakeVille, Ovid-Elsie, Plainwell, Saginaw Heritage, Saline, Stevensville Lakeshore, Warren DeLaSalle and Williamston. Schools using indoor and outdoor units include Cranbrook Kingswood, Frankenmuth, Freeland, Grand Blanc, Howell, Manchester, Norway, Novi, Ovid-Elsie, Plainwell, Saginaw Heritage, Saline and Stevensville Lakeshore. Additional schools will have their Pixellot units coming online soon.

More than 70 percent of the programming taking place this week on MHSAA.tv will be Pixellot productions, featuring a football game Friday evening with two of the top-ranked Division 1 teams facing off for the top spot in the Saginaw Valley League’s Red division. Grand Blanc hosts Davison at 7 p.m. Both teams are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play, tied with Lapeer for first place.

Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by School Broadcast Program members and the NFHS Network:

Tuesday - Sept. 18

Wednesday - Sept. 19 

Thursday - Sept. 20

Friday - Sept. 21

Saturday - Sept. 22

Monday - Sept. 24

Tuesday - Sept. 25

All sporting events – live or delayed - are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. School Broadcast Program participants also will be selling Season and Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program. 

Highlights of games broadcast during the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program contributors feature a pair of close football contests – Marquette’s 36-35 overtime win over Escanaba and Howell topping Novi, 21-17 – and a volleyball match with Lake Orion defeating Oxford, 3-0.

Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.

MHSAA TV: 1,000 Live Events & Growing

September 24, 2019

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

Less than two months into the 2019-20 school year, MHSAA.tv is topping the 1,000 mark for live streamed video of interscholastic athletic events on the NFHS Network.

Just a year ago, just under 300 live streams had been produced by a combined 34 schools. This week began with MHSAA.tv having streamed 986 events originated at 84 schools.

The surge in events is powered by the addition of Pixellot, the NFHS Network’s automated production solution at a growing number of MHSAA member schools. Since this time last year, units at more than 50 schools have been activated. In all, 108 schools have launched or will be launching more than 180 Pixellots at gymnasiums and outdoor athletic facilities around the state.

Here’s a breakdown of the MHSAA member schools utilizing Pixellot:

Active Indoor & Outdoor Units – Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Bad Axe, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Birmingham Seaholm, Brighton, Brownstown Woodhaven, Cadillac, Chesaning, Clare, Calumet, Cedar Springs, Corunna, East Grand Rapids, Frankenmuth, Freeland, Grand Blanc, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Howell, Ishpeming, Manchester, Maple City Glen Lake, Montrose, Norway, Novi, Ovid-Elsie, Petoskey, Plainwell, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Rockford, Saginaw Heritage, Saline, South Lyon, South Lyon East, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, St. Joseph, Stevensville Lakeshore, Troy, Troy Athens. Watervliet, West Bloomfield, White Lake Lakeland.

Active Outdoor Units – Ithaca, Portage Northern.

Active Gymnasium Units – Ann Arbor Greenhills, Big Rapids, Bear Lake, Brethren, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dollar Bay, Fenton, Flint Kearsley, Flint Powers Catholic, Fremont, Grand Rapids Christian, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Grandville, Harbor Beach, Harrison, Hart, Hemlock, Highland Milford, Kalamazoo Christian, Linden, Madison Heights Lamphere, Morley-Stanwood, Mt. Morris, New Lothrop, Otisville-LakeVille, Pellston, Southfield Christian, St. Charles, Waterford Our Lady.

Schools With Pending Installations – Armada, Birmingham Groves, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Hills Roeper, Burton Bendle, Caro, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, Detroit Catholic Central, East Kentwood, Flushing, Grand Ledge, Holly, Livonia Clarenceville, Macomb Dakota, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, Munising, Niles, Painesdale Jeffers, Plymouth Christian, Portage Central, Riverview Gabriel Richard, Saginaw Swan Valley, St. Ignace, Sterling Heights Stevenson+, Sturgis, Traverse City Central*, Traverse City West*, Utica+, Utica Eisenhower+, Utica Ford+, Vicksburg, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Western, Waterford Kettering, Waterford Mott, Williamston. (* Includes installation at Thirlby Field.) (+ Includes installations at Swinehart and Runkel Fields.)

The Pixellot schools join the following traditional School Broadcast Programs – Bay City John Glenn, Calumet, Cedar Springs, Charlevoix, Comstock Park, East Lansing, Fowlerville, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, Lake Orion, Marquette, Midland Dow, Montrose Mt. Pleasant, Negaunee, Onsted, Pewamo-Westphalia, Rockford, Rogers City, Vestaburg, Warren De La Salle Collegiate.

Here’s the complete list of varsity-level events to be streamed live in the coming week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network:

Tuesday – Sept. 24
Boys Soccer - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood Kingswood v. Hamtramck  - 4:30 PM
Girls Field Hockey - West Bloomfield v. Pinckney  - 4:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Buchanan v. Watervliet  - 5 PM
Boys Soccer - Ovid-Elsie v. Mt. Morris  - 5 PM
Girls Volleyball - Gobles v. Watervliet  - 5 PM
Boys Soccer - Iron Mountain v. Marquette  - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Norway v. Superior Central  - 6 PM
Boys Soccer - Stevensville Lakeshore v. Mattawan  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bellaire v. Pellston  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Grand Rapids Christian v. East Grand Rapids  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Kalamazoo Christian v. Galesburg-Augusta  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – White Lake Lakeland v. Walled Lake Western  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Otisville LakeVille v. New Lothrop  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Lutheran Westland v. Southfield Christian  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Milford v. Walled Lake Northern  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Mt. Morris v. Durand  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Novi v. Brighton  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Oakland Christian v. Plymouth Christian Academy  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Flint Powers Catholic v. Davison  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - South Lyon East v. South Lyon  - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Troy Athens v. TBA  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi v. Canton  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Brethren v. Marion  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Cadillac v. Traverse City Central  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Flint Carman-Ainsworth v. Grand Blanc  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fremont v. Central Montcalm  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Lake Orion v. Oxford  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Bloomfield Hills Marian v. Farmington Hills Mercy  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Petoskey v. Gaylord  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Saline v. Temperance Bedford  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Saline v. Temperance Bedford  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe v. Vassar  - 7:30 PM
 
Wednesday - Sept. 25
Boys Soccer - Ithaca v. Hemlock  - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Manchester v. Clinton  - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer - St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Marysville  - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fenton v. Flushing  - 6:15 PM
Girls Volleyball - Kearsley v. Linden  - 6:15 PM
Boys Soccer - Traverse City Central v. Traverse City West  - 6:20 PM
Girls Volleyball – Ann Arbor Greenhills v. Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic  - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Cedar Springs v. TBA  - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer – Birmingham Seaholm v. Detroit Country Day  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon East v. TBA  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon v. TBA  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon v. TBA  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Suttons Bay v. Maple City Glen Lake  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fowlerville v. St. Johns  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Frankenmuth v. Saginaw Swan Valley  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Morley Stanwood v. Hesperia  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Waterford Our Lady v. Madison Heights Bishop Foley  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Harrison v. Sanford Meridian  - 7:30 PM
 
Thursday - Sept. 26
Boys Soccer - Bangor v. Watervliet  - 5:25 PM
Boys Soccer – Madison Heights Lamphere v. St. Clair  - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Portage Northern v. Kalamazoo Central  - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Clare v. TBA  - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball – Flint Kearsley v. Flint Carman-Ainsworth  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – White Lake Lakeland v. South Lyon East  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest v. Southfield Christian  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Wayland Union v. East Grand Rapids  - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - White Cloud v. Hart  - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer – Troy Athens  v. Grand Blanc  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi v. Brighton  - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Troy v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep  - 7 PM
Girls Field Hockey - Saline v. Chelsea  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bear Lake v. Brethren  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian v. Wyoming Lee  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Grandville v. East Kentwood  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Bloomfield Hills Marian v. Wixom St. Catherine - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Troy v. Rochester Adams  - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - West Bloomfield v. Clarkston  - 7 PM
 
Friday - Sept. 27
Boys Soccer – Brownstown Woodhaven v. Dearborn Divine Child  - 4:30 PM
Football - Stevensville Lakeshore v. Portage Central  - 5:30 PM
Football - Portage Northern v. Mattawan  - 5:30 PM
Football - Wayland Union v. East Grand Rapids  - 6:30 PM
Football - Cadillac v. Lake Odessa Lakewood  - 7 PM
Football - Calumet v. Norway  - 7 PM
Football - Caro v. Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Laker  - 7 PM
Football - Clare v. Sanford Meridian  - 7 PM
Football - Frankenmuth v. Saginaw Swan Valley  - 7 PM
Football – Maple City Glen Lake v. Gladstone  - 7 PM
Football – Saginaw Heritage v. Midland Dow  - 7 PM
Football - Ithaca v. Carrollton  - 7 PM
Football - St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. St. Clair Shores South Lake  - 7 PM
Football – Madison Heights Lamphere v. Clawson  - 7 PM
Football - Manchester v. Vandercook Lake  - 7 PM
Football - Norway v. Calumet  - 7 PM
Football – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. TBA  - 7 PM
Football - Novi v. Plymouth  - 7 PM
Football - Ovid-Elsie v. New Lothrop  - 7 PM
Football - Petoskey v. Marquette  - 7 PM
Football - Rockford v. Grand Haven  - 7 PM
Football - South Lyon East v. White Lake Lakeland  - 7 PM
Football - South Lyon v. Walled Lake Northern  - 7 PM
Football - Dowagiac v. Plainwell  - 7 PM
Football – Grosse Pointe North v. Port Huron Northern  - 7 PM
Football - Ishpeming v. Negaunee  - 7 PM
Football - Kalamazoo Christian v. Watervliet  - 7 PM
Football - Laingsburg v. Pewamo-Westphalia  - 7 PM
Football - Lansing Eastern v. Fowlervi